Apparatus for performing operations on asymmetrical flat surfaced articles including an automatic sole feed



Feb. 10, 1970 5,-QRDWAY ETAL- 3,493,985

APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON ASYMMETRICAL FLAT SURFACED ARTICLES INCLUDING AN AUTOMATIC SOLE FEED 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4, 1968 FIG. I

INVENTORS RICHARD S. ORDWAY HAROLD E WHI'ITAKER FIG. 2

ATTORNE Feb. 10, 1970 s, ORD'WAY FIAL 3,493,985

, v APPARATUS FORPERFORMING OPERATIONS ON ASYMMETRICAL FLAT SURFACED ARTICLES INCLUDING AN AUTOMATIC SOLE FEED Filed June 4, 1968 3 Sheets-$heet 2 33 83 k 79 84 3e 8/ Q6878 8;

FIG. 5

85' 8/ H64 FIG.6

INVENTORS RICHARD S. ORDWAY BY HAROLD E WHITTAKER ATTORNE:

Feb. 10, 1970 R. s. ORDWAY ETAL 3,

APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS 0N ASYMMETRICAL FLAT SURFACED ARTICLES INCLUDING AN AUTOMATIC SOLE FEED Filed June 4. 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 7

INVENTORS RICHARD S. ORDWAY BY HAROLD F. WHITTAKER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,493,985 APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING OPERATIONS ON ASYMMETRICAL FLAT SURFACED ARTICLES INCLUDING AN AUTOMATIC SOLE FEED Richard S. Ordway, Haverhill, and Harold F. Whittaker, Bradford, Mass., assignors to Circle Machine Co., Inc., Haverhill, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed June 4, 1968, Ser. No. 734,402 Int. Cl. A43d 7/00 US. CI. 1287 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for performing operations on flat surfaced, asymmetrical articles or other non-circular articles, the apparatus including means to turn them completely around during the operation and means to feed the articles automatically to the station where the operation is effected.

The present invention relates to apparatus for performing operations on non-circular articles and of the type where the articles may be turned completely around and to automatic feeds in combination therewith.

The invention is adapted for use wherever fiat surfaced, non-circular articles are to have an operation performed thereon, the operation requiring that the article is turned, often completely about, for treatment by a tool. The invention is directed to the automatic termination of the operation after the article has been treated to the desired extent and also to means for effecting the the automatic delivery of another article to the work station when the treated article has been removed. The invention is herein discussed in connection with apparatus for use in treating shoe soles.

There are several operations that may extend completely about a sole; edge trimming, wheeling and reducing, coloring, and channeling, for example. Each such operation is best performed by turning a sole completely about while it is flat on the surface of a work station. The means for so turnin a sole include tool and drive members with at least one member being a hold-down member engageable with the uppermost surface of the sole throughout the operation. The tool member may be a driving member, a knife, or a spray head. Such means are in engagement with and hold the margin of the sole so that the sole swings substantially and moves back and forth during the course of its treatment by the tool.

While such apparatus is eflicient, they are hand fed with a consequent limitation on the per operator production and the general objective of the present invention is to provide automatic feeds for apparatus of the above referred-to types.

In accordance with the invention, this objective is attained with apparatus having a work station provided with tool and driving members operable to turn a sole completely about while being operated on by the tool member. One of the members is a hold-down member and has a normal position in which it is engageable with the uppermost surface of a sole in the station and means are provided to raise that member from its normal operative position thus to stop the solo from being turned further. The apparatus also has a hopper for a supply of soles and means to deliver a sole from the hopper to the work station. The apparatus also has first and second control means with the first control means bein actuated by the sole when it has been swung completely about then to operate the member raising means until the treated sole is removed. The second control means is actuated on the return of the raised member See into its operative position then to operate the sole delivery means.

Another objective of the invention is to provide means for the actuation of the means by which the operation on the article is terminated by a light responsive sensor through the light path of which a portion or portions of the article pass as the article is turned, the actuating means providing for a wide range of operating conditions and requirements such as control in response to other than the first signal from the sensor, the delayed use of a signal therefrom, and the skipping of intermediate signals.

Another objective of the invention is to provide for the actuation of the means by which the hold-down member is raised in response to a light responsive sensor that responds to the presence, in its light path, of portions of the sole, the toe portion as the heel portion is being worked on by the tool and the heel portion when the sole has been turned end-for-end, these being the portions that swing laterally to the greater extent as the sole is turned. There are thus provided two signals as the sole at the work station is turned completely about. In order that only the second signal will effect the raising of the hold-down member at the correct time, the first signal is used to render the first control means operative by the second signal after an appropriate delay.

Another objective of the present invention is to have the means by which the hold-down member is raised operated with the first control means having a control valve yieldably held in a first position in which air is delivered, in response to the first signal, via a first operating valve to a piston whose rate of travel is adjustable and by which the control valve is positioned, after a suitable time delay, to cause a second operating valve to deliver air to a piston by which the hold-down member is raised.

Another objective of the invention is to prevent the delivery of another sole to the work station until a treated sole has been removed therefrom. The invention provides that an air supply valve be opened when the hold-down member is raised and the second operating valve remains operative until the signal is terminated by removing the treated sole. When the hold-down member returns to its operative position, a second supply valve is opened that sets the delivery means in operation and returns the first operating valve to its original position.

A particular objective of the invention is to provide a sole conveyor that is reciprocated by a piston with its operating valve being operated by the last named air supply valve in a sole-delivering direction and is immediately returned when an air supply valve is opened to the limit of conveyor travel in that direction.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a fence by which delivered soles are accurately guided to the work station and means to raise that fence when the margin of a delivered sole is gripped by the sole turning means, an objective attained by providing a micrOswitch in control of a solenoid operated valve in an air line to a fence-raising piston, the switch closing when the holddown member is forced upwardly by the newly delivered sole.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an embodiment of the invention illustrative of these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of an edge turner in accordance with the invention with part of its front broken away,

FIGURE 2 is a side view thereof with the hopper 0 removed,

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary end view, on an increased scale, showing the conveyor dog,

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinally sectioned view of the dog, and

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view of the operating means and the controls therefor.

The sole edge trimmer illustrated by the drawings consists of a housing 10 having a fiat-surfaced top providing a table 11. A support 12 is mounted at the rear of the table 11 and extends forwardly above it With an arm 13 pivotally connected thereto at 14 so that it may swing upwardly and downwardly. The arm 13 supports a shaft 15 that extends lengthwise thereof and has a roller 16, shown as frusto-conical in shape, fixed on its forward end and a gear 17 fixed on its rearward end.

The gear 17 meshes with a gear 18 on a shaft 19 extending forwardly under the table 11 in a vertical plane inclusive of the axis of the shaft 15. On the forward end of the shaft 19, there is a roll 20 exposed slightly above the level of the table 11 through a port 21 directly below the roll 16. At its rear end, the shaft 19 has, in addition to the gear 18, a gear 22 driven by a motor, not shown, by means of a chain 23, and a gear 24, the function of which will be apparent from the description of the means by which soles 25 are delivered to the work station, generally indicated at 26.

An edge trimming member 27 extends upwardly through the forward part of the port 21 in the table 11 close to but forwardly of the rolls 16 and 20 with its axis extending vertically in the plane that includes the axis of the shafts 15 and 19. The edge trimmer 27 is driven by a motor, not shown. A satisfactory edge trimmer, drive, and adjusting means is shown in US. Letters Patent No. 3,384,913 so that it is now herein shown or described.

In addition to the member 27 and the rolls 16 and 20 at the work station 26, there is a guide roll 28 having an adjustable connection 29 with the table 11 and these parts constitute the means by which a sole 25 is marginally gripped between the rotating rolls 16 and 20 and turned with its edge in contact with the member 27 and the roll 28 with the member 27 being both a driving member and a tool and the roll 16 being both a driving and a holddown member. An air-operated piston cylinder unit 30 is mounted on the support 12 with its piston rod 31 extending downwardly and connected to the arm 13. An air supply conduit 32 is in communication with the unit 30 and maintains a predetermined load on the hold-down roll 16.

The apparatus as thus far described is essentially a sole edge trimmer manufactured by Circle Machine Co., Inc., of Haverhill, Mass., and identified as its Model G and is illustrative of means by which a sole may be slid along a table into a work station and there turned with its margin gripped between members and its edge held against a driving member thus to be turned completely about unless and until the hold-down arm is raised to release the sole. In edge trimming operations and in other operations wherein an article is thus held and turned, the article, unless it is circular swings from side-to-side and moves back and forth to an extent depending on its size and shape. In accordance with the invention, the hold-down arm 13 is raised automatically when a sole 25 has been operated on to a desired extent by the tool and, additionally, another sole is automatically delivered to the work station when the treated sole is removed therefrom. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the drawings, the asymmetrical nature ofa shoe sole is used to effect these objectives.

To this end, a light responsive sensor of the reflection operated type and generally indicated at 33 is atttached to the support 12 with its light path directed against the reflective surface 34 located at the work station 27, see FIG. 4, in such a position that its light beam is interrupted by both the toe and heel portions of a sole as it turns. The light sensor may be a Rayflex Announcer manufactured by Electric Eye Products Co. of New York, N.Y.

As shown in FIG. 7, an air supply line 35 from a source 36 is under the control of a valve 37 having an open, air delivering position and a closed, air relief position and normally held open by the solenoid 38 when it is energized, the solenoid 38 being in a circuit 39 closed by the sensor 33 when its light beam is interrupted. The air supply line 35 includes a second valve 40 in control of the branch conduits 41 and 42, the conduit 41 being the means by which an operating valve 43 is set in its first position and the conduit 42 being the means by which the operating valve 44 is set in its first position. The valve 40 is normally held by a spring 45 in its position in which air is directed to set the valve 44 in its first position.

The operating valves 43 and 44 are both of a type that may be set in a first position by air delivered at one end and in a second position by air delivered at the other end if the air pressure at the first named end has been relieved. In the first position, such a valve is operable to connect one of two conduits to the air source and the other to relief and in the second position the first named conduit is open to relief and the second named conduit is in communication with the air source. Neither valve is detailed in the drawings as such valves are well known. They may be those made by Versa Products Company, Inc. of Englewood, N.J., and identified as APP 4212.

In the first position of the operating valve 43, the air supply line 46 is connected to the conduit 47 which is connected to the piston-cylinder unit 30 to operate it to raise the hold-down arm 13 thus to free a sole. In the second position, the conduit 47 is vented thus to permit the return of the hold-down roll 16 into its operative position. It will be noted that the second valve port 43A is plugged so that no air from the supply line 46 escapes in the second position.

As both the toe and heel portions of a sole 25 pass through the light path of the sensor 33, it is necessary to use the second signal to effect the setting of the valve 43 in its first position. In addition, the immediate response of the valve setting means for the valve 43 to a signal would result in the raising of the hold-down roll 16 before the sole 25 was treated to the desired extent because of the extent of the sole portion interrupting the light beam of the sensor 33.

Because the valve 40 is normally positioned by the spring 45 to connect the branch conduit 42 to the supply line 36, the first signal from the sensor 34 effects the setting of the operating valve 44 in its first position in which the conduit 48 is connected to the supply line 49 and the conduit 50 is open to relief. The conduits 48 and 50 are connected to a piston-cylinder unit 51 so that in the first position of the operating valve 44, the piston rod 52 is advanced and, in the second position, the air flow is reversed so that it is retracted.

When the operating valve 44 is in its first position, the piston-cylinder unit 51 is actuated to advance its piston rod 52 until it engages and operates the stem 53 by which the valve 40 is set to place the branch conduit 41 in communication with the air supply conduit 35 thereby to set the operating valve 43 in its first position when the valve 37 is opened by a signal from the sensor 33. The conduit 48 has an adjustable valve 54 by which the air flow to the unit 51 is throttled to provide a rate of piston travel such that not only will a second signal be required to effect the first position of the operating valve 43 but also that the second signal will not be effected until the sole operation has been completed.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the invention provides for the termination of the operation and the release of the sole 25 after it has been operated on to the desired extent, the turning of the sole 25 completely about so that the entire length of its edge will be trimmed, for example.

The support 12 carries a normally closed valve 55 in control of an air supply line 56 to the operating valve 43. The valve 54 is adapted to be opened as by its engagement by the contact 57 on the hold-down arm 13 when the arm 13 is raised thus to deliver air to set the operating valve 43 in its second position. The shifting of the operating valve 43 from its first to its second position does not occur, however, until the opposing air pressure is relieved by removing the treated sole 25 as a consequence of which the signal fails and the valve 37 returns to its closed position.

The support 12 also carries a normally closed valve 58 in control of an air supply line 59 which is in communication with and is the means by which the operating valve 44 is set in its second position to cause the retraction of the piston rod 52 thus to permit the valve 40 to return to its normal position. The valve 58 has, see FIGS. 2 and 3, an operating stem 60 engaged by a member 61 pivoted to the support 12 and having an arm 62 pivoted thereto to swing upwardly from a fixed operating position. The hold-down arm 13 carries an actuator 63 adapted to engage the arm 62 and to swing it upwardly before passing above it but when the hold-down arm 13 swings downwardly, the actuator 63 engages the arm 62 and forces it to swing the member 61 sufliciently to open the valve 58 momentarily before passing below the arm 62. Since the return of the hold-down arm 13 occurs only when no sole 25 is present at the work station 26, the short pulse of air is operative to reset the valve 44.

When the treated sole 25 is removed, another sole 25 is fed automatically to the work station 26 and the means for so doing are not detailed.

A hopper 64 is pivotally connected to the table 11 and is held at the desired angle relative thereby by adjustable braces 65 and discharges into a. retaining frame 66 having an exit slot, at the end nearest the work station 26, dimensioned to permit the passage of a single sole 25.

Within the housing 10 there is an upper and a lower pair of horizontally spaced sprockets 67 about which a chain 68 is trained. A piston-cylinder unit 69 has its piston rod 70 connected to the lower course of the chain 68 and as the piston rod is advanced and retracted, the upper chain course reciprocates to the same extent.

The piston-cylinder unit 69, see FIG. 7, is under the control of an operating valve 71 which may be identical to the operating valves 43 and 44. The valve 71 is set in a first position when air is delivered thereto through the branch 72 of the conduit 59 when the hold-down member 16 is returned to its operative position. The valve 71 is set in its second position when air is delivered thereto through the air supply line 73 which is provided with a normally closed valve 74 adapted to be opened when its operating arm 75 is engaged by the piston rod 70 at the end of its sole feeding stroke.

In the first position of the operating valve 71, air is delivered through a conduit 76 to the piston-cylinder unit 69 and the conduit 77 vents air therefrom to cause the upper course of the chain 68 to move in a sole-delivering direction while in its second position, the direction of chain travel is reversed.

The table 11, see FIGS. and 6, has a slot 78 extending lengthwise through the retaining frame 66 and towards the work station 26, the length of the slot 78 being equal to the travel of the piston rod 70. The slot 78 is marginally shouldered as at 79. A dog 80 is carried by the upper course of the chain 68 to engage with the lowermost sole 25 in the frame 66 and carry it towards the work station 26. Desirably, the dog 80 lays flush with the table 11 when the chain 68 is driven to move it back under the frame 66 into a position to pick up another sole 25 for delivery to the work station 26.

The dog 80, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, has a depending arm 81 at its rear end connected to the chain 68 by a pivot 82. A pair of shoes 83 interconnected through the arm 81 by a pivot 88, ride on the shoulders 79. Each shoe 83 has a drag plate 84 loosely connected thereto by a vertically disposed keeper 85 which confines a spring 86 ensuring sufiicient drag so that, on movement of the chain 68 in a sole-delivering direction, the dog 80 is swung upwardly to engage a sole 25 and, on reverse travel, the dog lies flat.

The sole delivery means also includes a curved fence 87 resting on the table 11 with one end pivoted at 88 to the frame 66 and extending to the work station 26 .where its other end is pivotally connected to a link 89 pivotally connected to the piston rod 90 of an air operated piston-cylinder unit 91. The unit 91 normally receives air from the supply line 31 to the hold-down piston-cylinder unit 30 so that, normally, the fence 87 is held against the table 11. The air supply line 92 to the unit 91 includes a valve 93 operated by a solenoid 94 and having a normally closed relief position and an open position established when the circuit 95 to the solenoid 94 is completed by the closing of the normally open microswitch 96. The hold-down arm 13 has a stem 97 pivotally connected thereto and slidably guided by the support 12 to engage and close the switch 96 when the hold-down arm 13 is raised by the entry of a sole 25 between the roll 20 and the hold-down roll 16. By these means, once a sole 25 has been delivered to the work station 26 and gripped by the rolls 20 and 16, the fence 87 is raised out of the path of the sole as it is being turned.

It will also be noted that there are rolls 98 and 99, see FIGS. 1 and 3, exposed through openings in the table 11 and extending above the surface thereof to have driving contact with,a sole 25. The roll 98 is fast on a shaft 100 supported below the table 11 and provided with a gear 101 adjacent its front end and a gear 102 adjacent its rear end. The gear 102 is connected to the gear 24 by a chain 103. The roll 99 is fast on the shaft 104 secured to the undersurface of the table 11 and has a gear 105 connected to the gear 101 by a chain 106. The rolls 98 and 99 are offset so that each is spaced substantially the same distance from the fence and each urges the sole being delivered against the fence 87.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that when the sole edge trimmer is in service, the sole delivery means is operated when there is no sole in the work station 26 and that the turning of a sole 25 is always stopped with a sole portion in the light path of the sensor 33. It will also be apparent that the signal or signals provided by the sensor 33 are utilized to ensure that the article at the work station is being treated to the desired extent. In the case of a shoe sole 25, signals from both the toe and heel portions are utilized and it will be apparent that the invention not only makes it possible to use a signal from two different portions of a noncircular flat surfaced article, but also the equivalent of two signals from a single portion as well as a means of eliminating signals from portions that enter the light path of the sensor before the treatment of the article has been completed.

We claim:

1. In apparatus for performing on a flat surfaced noncircular article an operation that may extend completely about the article, a supporting surface including a work station, means at the work station including tool and driving members and operable to turn an article completely about while the article is being operated upon by the tool member, one of said members being a holddown member and having a normal position in which it is engageable with the uppermost surface of an article in the station, means to raise said one member from its normal operative position, an article source, means to deliver an article from said source to said work station,

first control means actuated by the article when it has been swung about to a desired extent to operate said means by which said one member is raised until said treated article is removed, and second control means actuated on the return of said one member into its operative position then to operate said delivery means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the first control means includes a light responsive sensor located at the work station to be responsive to any portion of the article that projects into its light path as the article is turned and to provide a signal when such a portion enters that path, a control member responsive to signals from the sensor, an operating member controlled by the control member, and means to effect the operation of the operating member by the control member in response to a signal indicative that the article has been turned to the desired extent after a portion of the article has entered the light path.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the signal to which the control member responds is other than the signal provided by the sensor in response to the first portion of the article that enters the light path, and time delay means operable in response to the first signal provided by the sensor determines when such other signal is to be operative.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the delivery means includes a fence disposed to guide an article into a position wherein it is operatively engaged by the turning means, and means connected to the fence are operable to move it out of the path of the turning article when the article is so engaged.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 in which there is a support above the work station and an arm pivotally connected to the support carries the hold-down member and is forced upwardly when an article becomes engaged by the hold-down member of the turning means, an air operated piston-cylinder unit is mounted on the support with its piston connected to the proximate end of the fence, an air conduit including a normally closed, solenoid-operated valve is in communication with the unit, and a circuit inclusive of the solenoid includes a normally open switch closed by the raising of the arm.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the article delivery means comprises a reciprocable conveyor, a pistoncylinder unit with the piston connected to the conveyor, and means including an operating valve to deliver air to the unit to cause movement of the conveyor in either direction, means operable to set the operating valve to effect the return of the conveyor at the end of its articledelivering travel and means operable to set the operating valve at the other end of the conveyor travel to reverse the conveyor travel, the last named means being operated by the return of the hold-down member to its operative position.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the article delivery means also includes a fence defining a curved pathway between the outfeed end of the conveyor and the work station, and a plurality of article feeding rolls along the pathway, means constantly driving the rollers, the roller being disposed to maintain the article in contact with the fence, and means operable in response to upward movement of the hold-down member when it engages the upper surface of an article to raise the fence.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the conveying means includes a guide fence extending to the work station with which the article being delivered is held in contact until it is engaged by the article turning means, and means operable by the hold-down member of the article turning means then to move the fence out of the path of the turning article.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the article source is a hopper above the supporting surface, the supporting surface has a slot extending from below the hopper towards the work station and the article delivery means is a reciprocable member below the supporting surface and a dog attached thereto through the slot and includes a drag responsive shoe in engagement with the margin of the slot to position the dog operatively when the conveyor is moved in an article delivering direction and inoperatively on movement of the reciprocable member in the opposite direction.

10. In apparatus for performing on a fiat surfaced non-circular article an operation that may extend completely about the article, a supporting surface including a work station, means at the work station including tool and driving members and operable to turn an article completely about while the article is being operated upon by the tool member, one of said members being a holddown member and having a normal position in which it is engageable with the uppermost surface of an article in the station, a light responsive sensor located at the work station to be responsive to any portion of an article that projects laterally to an extent suflicient to interrupt its light path to create a signal, a first piston-cylinder unit operable to raise said hold-down member, air delivery means including an operating valve in communication with said first unit, a second piston-cylinder unit, air delivery means including an operating valve in communication with said second unit, valve setting means for each operating valve, and means responsive to a signal from said sensor to operate both of said setting means and including a device normally causing the operation of the setting means for the second operating valve in response to a signal, and means operated by the advance of the piston of the second unit then to operate said device to cause the operation of the setting means for the first operating valve thereby to raise the hold-down member until a signal is terminated by the removal of the article at the work station.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the rate of travel of the piston of the second unit is adjustable.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the time interval required for the travel of the second unit piston is such as to ensure that the article has been swung about to a desired extent.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the time interval required for the travel of the second unit piston is such as to require a signal other than that in response to which the second operating valve was set for the setting of the first operating valve.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 in which there is an air conduit, the means responsive to a sensor signal is a normally closed solenoid operated valve in the air conduit opened by and held open during the signal, each setting means is a branch conduit, and the device is a valve operable to connect the branch conduit to the air conduit in the alternative and yieldably held in a position connecting the branch conduit for the second operating valve thereto.

15'. The apparatus of claim 14 and a second setting means for each of the operating valves, the second setting means for the first operating valve including an air conduit provided with a normally closed valve opened on the raising of the hold-down member and the second setting means for the second operating valve including an air conduit provided with a normally closed valve opened on the return of the hold-down member to its operative position.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 and reciprocable article delivery means, the delivery means including a third piston-cylinder unit and air delivery means including a third operating valve in communication with the third unit, means to set the third delivery means to cause the third unit to be activated in an article delivering direction when the hold-down member is in its operative position, and means to set the third delivery means to reverse the delivery mean-s on the delivery of an article.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 and article delivery means including a third piston-cylinder unit and air delivery means including a third operating valve in communication with the third unit means to set the third operating valve to operate the third unit to eifect piston movement in an article delivering direction, said setting means being a branch of the air conduit of the second setting means for the second operating valve and means to set the third operating valve to operate the third unit to reverse the travel of the delivery means, said last named setting means being an air conduit including a normally closed valve opened when the delivery means reaches the end of its travel in the article delivering direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner 

